Kill Bill: Nikki's Revenge
by Love A Mysterious Thing
Summary: Beatrix takes her daughter and they live happily together. But there was another daughter that the Black Mamba nearly forgot about. Until she comes back for revenge, angrier than ever.
1. Chapter 1

Kill Bill: Nikki's Revenge

Nikki looks out over the edge of the roof. She can see the cars and the people at the bottom. They look so small and innocent it makes her disgusted. Nobody is innocent. They can act innocent, but betrayal hides in their shadows. Waiting.

She laughs darkly to herself. She finds it ironic that she is doing the same by sitting in the darkness on a roof top. Just waiting.

The sky is dark blue with the sun setting against it. Only an hour left before she is off dancing with death. She leaps from one rooftop to the next in the concealing blackness of night. She had never told anyone what she was about to do. Nobody had any idea of what she really was. Only fifteen years old and she had committed more murders and crimes than all of the Deadly Vipers put together.

The first to die was her father. He came home and found her mother dead in the kitchen. He cried over her body for hours while Nikki sat in the living room. She had cut her foot on the broken glass and had drawn patterns with her blood. She was only four years old at the time. She grew up from that moment on. She had never been a child. She had turned into something more.

At her 6th birthday party she had walked in on her father in his bedroom. She was going to ask if it was time to open presents when she saw him with another woman. Bare ass naked and fucking like animals on his bed, Nikki cracked the door and watched. She was horrified as her father betrayed her mother like that. Moans, cries, and screams of pleasure smacked her in the face. Nikki couldn't believe what she was witnessing. When their assaulting noises died down, she snuck away and went back out to her party. No one had any idea of what she was planning.

That night, she had replayed the images of her father with that woman, until they diseased her mind. Nobody was going to disrespect her mother like that. They would have to pay for their actions.

After everyone had left the party and Nikki was in bed, her father went into her room. But he didn't notice the knife, the knife identical to the one that had been inside her mother and inside his wife, behind her back. As he bent to give Nikki a kiss goodnight, she gripped the knife and plunged it into the side of his throat. He collapsed on her bed with his wide eyes on her. Her bed seemed a little too comfortable for him. He didn't deserve to die in comfort. She shoved his body onto the floor and watched his life source seep out of his artery in red rivers. That was her first kill. And like her mother, she would live to kill.

Nikki trained herself to fight. After she had killed the slut that had slept with her now dead father, she decided to fight assassins. Assassin after assassin, bloodshed after bloodshed Nikki rose victorious. She grew stronger, stealthier, and angrier with each kill. She yearned for them to be Beatrix. She wanted Beatrix to be the one to beg for mercy. She wanted Beatrix's blood to stain her clothes. She wanted Beatrix to get the ending that her mother had sought for her in the beginning. The bitch didn't die when she was supposed to. Now she was going to pay for two lives.

Never really understanding what Beatrix had meant when she had told Nikki that if she ever wanted to avenge her mother's death she would be waiting for her. Nikki never even dreamed of actually taking her up on the offer. Now Nikki couldn't wait to get her hands on her. She had planned how she would be ending Beatrix's life since the day she had killed her father. The urge to kill grew indefinitely after that. As with each murder she committed she became more creative. More of her victims were tortured and more of their screams lasted longer.

Nikki had contemplated the idea that maybe she had a problem. Maybe she was so obsessed with getting her revenge that it was unhealthy. Maybe but no matter what she did, she couldn't shake the image of her mother's body lying lifeless. Cereal had been coating the floor in the kitchen, glass in the living room, blood by her body, and the murderer talked to Nikki about revenge before leaving on her plan for revenge.

The cereal by her mother had been for Nikki. It was a tradition that after school her mom would bring some cereal to her and they would work together on her homework. Now Nikki couldn't even stand to see a box of cereal. When she was eleven she got kicked out of the grocery store for destroying all their cereal. She had kicked, screamed, and punched all the cereal off their shelves before a manager had grabbed her and thrown her out. Of course the next day they had to hire a new manager because their last one turned up dead. He had 'fallen' in his bedroom and hit the mirror causing a big shard to enter his brain.

Nikki remembers wishing he was Beatrix too. At the thought, Nikki runs toward the end of the roof and jumps to the other. It's easily a 100 story drop but Nikki pays no attention. She has one thing on her mind and that blurs out everything else. While her mind wanders on the adrenaline of murdering, she focuses her senses on nothing but the cold air that caresses her as she jumps from rooftop to rooftop. She breathes in the scent of the refreshing air. Below, it smells of gasoline and dumpsters. Here the air is unpolluted. Untainted by the souls that cannot reach the rooftops.

She feels free. The chains that weigh heavy on her heart and mind of the change in her life are loosened by the tiniest fraction of an inch. The space allows her lungs to expand and her heart to beat more freely. Her brown hair falls to her shoulders in little curls that bounce around with her every move. Her black shirt hangs low and her pants hug her every curve. She always dressed provocatively. Whenever a man came onto her, she played around. She would be mysterious and gain his attention. Once he was intrigued, she would take him to a deserted place and the game would take a turn for the fun. She wouldn't give them what they wanted. She would tease them.

"Oh yeah." One of them had moaned against her lips as he pushed her back against the wall. He cupped her breast with one hand and with the other held her wrists above her head. They were in the back of an empty alley way. The exact place that Nikki had wanted them to be. The man rubbed his hand down her side, down to the edge of her skirt. He traced his hand lightly up her inner thigh. Then reached down and started unbuttoning his pants. That's when Nikki's game turned deadly.

She loosened one of her hands out of his hold and grabbed his throat. When he couldn't breathe, he let go of her other hand and stopped touching his pants. Nikki kissed him one last time, the seal of his death.

She remembered laughing at the man's face. He had looked so scared and shocked she almost wanted to take a picture. But of course she couldn't do that. Any evidence of her would lead the police on her trail and she would be sent to an orphanage. She had run all the way from the Bronx to get away from that kind of thing.

She remembered telling the man, "You know child molesting a serious offense in this part of town." She tsk-ed tsk-ed at him and crushed his throat harder, lifting him off the ground. She grabbed the long knife that she hid in her boot and plunged it into his gut. "Every law has to be enforced one way or another." She whispered into his ear and pulled the knife out. The man fell back to the ground and bled out.

Two weeks later she read the article in the paper.

Drunk Partier found dead in an alley way.

…He had a 6 inch stab wound near his stomach and tests revealed he was drunk over legal limit. Near the alleyway, authorities found a homeless man concealing the murder weapon. Prints matched the man and the blood on the knife matched the victim. Authorities say they cannot know for sure whether the suspect really did kill this man but evidence claims that the story is just that. They brought the suspect in for questioning where they, "…questioned him but found they couldn't get a single answer from him." Police Chief Robertson says that the man is a mute. Police are keeping him held in prison until the judge can look over the case. Authorities say they are confident that the man will be in prison for a long time.

As much as Nikki hopes that she will get a surprise attack on Black Mamba, she knows that by now her cover is probably blown.

She runs slower to the edge of the last rooftop. When she reaches the edge, she drops down and lands smoothly on her feet. She fixes her shirt and pulls on her beanie. No one is looking for her or even knows who she is. She wants it to stay that way.

As she walks to the train station, she hears light footsteps falling behind her. Acting on instincts she pulls out her 9mm Pistol with the silencer and holds it to the face behind her. When she turns, all she sees is an empty street. She looks around trying to see if she's missing something.

"A little paranoid, are we?" A voice sounded right in her ear that the person's breath raises goose-bumps on her arms. The person then grabs her arms and pulls them back, pinning her. Cold lips run down her neck. This must be it, she figures, I'm going to die.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Long Time No See.

Nikki leans her neck farther to the side while the stranger's lips continue tracing over it. She looks down at the ground, trying to find a safe way to proceed. Seeing that her options are limited, she decides to go with the hard way. She kicks off the ground and flips over the stranger. When she lands behind him, she holds the gun to his head.

"Who are you and what the hell are you doing?" She snaps and the stranger laughs. She cocks the gun and shoves it harder into his temple. "Don't think I won't do it."

"You wouldn't be able to." The stranger laughs again.

"Oh wouldn't I." Her finger tightens around the trigger, getting ready to pull it.

The stranger stops laughing abruptly. "Nikki… Really girl? You don't know who I am?" The person sounds offended.

Nikki is taken by surprise. How did this person know her name? She never spoke to anyone. "No actually I don't know you." She sounds unsure but continues holding the gun to his head. The boy groans.

"Can I turn around and step into the light? Maybe then you'll know who I am." He suggests.

Nikki contemplates the idea. Figuring she has nothing to lose, she gives in. Keeping the gun close to his face, but not quite touching him she says, "Ok." Very slowly the boy turns around, careful not to make any sudden movement in case Nikki does decide to shoot.

When his dramatic slow-mo circle ends, Nikki's breath catches in her throat. She curses in her head for having let the boy reveal himself to her.

"Now do you remember me?" the boy asks, cautiously taking steps forward into the light.

Nikki knows she knows she can do one of two things now. The first was she could easily lie and say no. Then kill him and run. But no matter how strong and made of stone she pretends to be, she can't fool herself. And she knew she couldn't play the heartless façade to this person of all people. So she decides to go with option two.

She lowers her gun, puts it back in its hidden pouch in her shoe and walks away. She knew he was going to follow before she heard his obnoxious footsteps rushing to catch up with hers. "Get out of here Kyle. I definitely do not need this right now."

Kyle runs to get by her side. Nikki starts walking faster. "Where I'm going you definitely do not want to go with."

"Oh c'mon," he whines. Nikki was expecting that kind of response. He "witnessed" the last time she killed one of the members of the Ricocheting Rogers. Nikki still can't get over a family gang. The Rogers used to be her neighbors before they had a sudden "issue" and they had to leave. The very next day after administering their news, they moved out. The neighbors were suspicious but quickly got over it. After all, the Roger's place had a pool that was now open to the community. Nikki hadn't been home for years. For all she knew, her whole neighborhood was run over by tanks or blown up in a nuclear explosion. Okay maybe not something so dramatic considering she'd see it in the paper but still.

When she had found out by other secret assassins that the Rogers were so close to her path on the way to find Beatrix and that they were ninja like she was, she wasn't surprised. She had known something was suspicious about them, she just wasn't sure what.

In order to disclose the information about assassins that could pose a problem and possibly help out Black Mamba, Nikki had to favors. She was paid a lump sum of money to take out the son, and at the amount she couldn't refuse. Nikki sighs.

That was all her life was since she had done research on her mother. Of course the internet had nothing on the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, so Nikki had to find facts on her own.

"You must let me go with you! I could be like… like your partner in crime! I'll call you batman and you can call me Robin!" He yells enthusiastically.

"Are you suicidal?" Nikki snaps in a stage whisper. "You're going to get us killed. Which just in case you didn't know, is so un-Robin-like." She rolls her eyes at him.

He lowers his voice drastically. Nothing has changed with this one; he has always and would always live to please. "I will be the a better Robin than the original." He vows.

Nikki looks at him and he gives her the puppy dog face. "Oh gosh, you are so not using that one on me." His lip pouts out even further. "You know for seventeen year old, you are really, and I do mean _really_, obnoxious and annoying."

"Is that a yes?" He smiles eagerly.

"Hmmm…" Nikki pretends to think about it. She puts her finger to her chin and stops walking. When Kyle stops and looks at her with that eager smile, she decides to test him. "Alright prove that you're better than Robin," She starts taking slow steps forward until she's ahead of him, "then catch me!" She yells back and takes off. She uses her speed to run past all the run-down buildings to one with a ladder. She grabs the side and flings herself up the steps to the roof.

At the top she looks down at the street where Kyle is looking after her. "No fair Nik! You know I can't do that!"

"Then hasta la vista baby! You'll never be a good Robin!" She yells back and laughs at his sarcastically hurt expression and runs the length of the roof. At the edge, she jumps off and continues what she had been earlier. She was on her way to the bus station to get a ride to the murderer's doorstep.


	3. Chapter 3

HA! And you thought it was almost over…

In the complete darkness of night, Nikki walks the deserted streets. She just took a cab and paid with the money the last gang gave her when she killed the one they wanted dead. She looks at her cash she has left and notices she's a little low. She has only a thousand dollars. She decides to skip breakfast and lunch and just cab hop till she gets to her destination. It's far from Nevada to California.

Other than the occasional hobo, Nikki notices she's all alone. No passing cars, no late workers, no anything. Any other teenager would be on high alert and shaking with fear. Walking after midnight, in pitch black except for the moon and a few street lights, and passing deep alleyways, she knows she should be a little on edge, too. But Nikki takes comfort in being alone. That was how she always was since her parents died. And it used to be like that all the time till she ran into Kyle.

What to say about Kyle… Nikki could say a lot of things about Kyle. He's black like her. Not velvet black, but a light brown. He has the perfect sense of humor and isn't like any other sex crazed teenage boy. Nikki could honestly say she loved him. Not like she would ever admit that out loud, or to Kyle's face, but she absolutely adores the kid.

That day that she had killed one of the Rogers, she didn't know she was being followed. She knows better now and she always peaks her hearing so she's never caught of guard, but in the beginning she didn't know.

She remembers that she had snuck from tree to tree; flinging herself gracefully from one branch to the next till she was near the second story. She had scoped out the whole place and tracked down the Rogers where-a-bouts, she couldn't believe how easy it was. All of the Rogers but the youngest, an 11 year old, and the eldest, the 20 year old, were not home. She was given 3 days to get rid of the eldest son and she took that time wisely.

She remembers watching through his window at night. He had had his headphones in and was drumming along on his make shift drum set (upside down buckets and a metal pan) the night she decided to make her move. The other Rogers still weren't home so thankfully the people, who had paid her, knew what they were talking about.

Nikki had jumped from her branch that she had rested on and landed smoothly through the open window. Her victim had been shocked at her entrance. Nikki remembers the way he ripped out his headphones and picked up the pan. Her first choice of weapon would have been the pan too but then again, nothing like that would ever happen to her. You needed a home and windows for it to happen…

Though she had had her sword and the gun on her, she kept out nothing but her bare hands. She had wanted to make it clean and as quiet as possible. She had lunged on to his bed and stood over him. He backed up into the wall and tried to hit her with the pan. Nikki felt so stupid but it was oddly amusing.

She had danced around the room while he backed up into everything he could find. He didn't want his back showing, knowing that Nikki would kill him instantly that way. He was blond and chubby. Nikki didn't feel bad about killing him, and as far as she was concerned, she was keeping him away from living a single, loveless life.

When she got bored of bouncing from the bed, to the chair, to jumping on the buckets and ripping the posters off the walls, she danced into the hallway and sat in front of the stairs. When the kid came bounding after her, she sat there and smiled. He lifted the pan readying to hit her, when she leaned in and bit his leg. She could feel her teeth cutting through his skin like butter. She didn't want his blood in her mouth though so when he fell over in pain, she reached across his body and snapped his neck.

Nikki had dragged him into the bedroom and placed him in the bed to look as if he was sleeping; she turned off the lights and was about to head downstairs when a head popped up over the edge of the top stair. She backed into the wall and immediately got hit with adrenaline.

"Wow. That was amazing!" Kyle exclaimed to her. He had said it so loudly; she held her finger to her lips to shush him.

"Psh. No worries. I already took care of the youngest one. He's downstairs, probably drowning in blood. But that," he gestured to the blond, "was impressive. Are you a vampire?"

Nikki had just stared at him like he was crazy. She snorted, "Yeah look out! I might drink your blood!"

Nikki didn't find the kid as a threat anymore. After all, she never had a fan before. She skipped past him down the stairs and found the dead kid in the kitchen. She immediately groaned, "Why did you do this?" Her 'fan' stood next to her.

"How else was I supposed to get in? I don't have a freakish ability to jump from a tree to a window like you do." His response had made her laugh. She had never laughed a lot before that so she knew there was something special about the kid. "By the way, the names Kyle Dragon the fifth." He had held out his hand.

Nikki had taken it reluctantly and said simply, "Nikki."

Kyle had beamed the most attractive smile she had ever seen. She almost passed out when the butterflies clouded her stomach. "Nice to meet you Nikki." She was only 13 at the time.

Nikki still can't believe that Kyle has ever killed someone when she had seen the body for herself. She knows Kyle better now, and she knows killing just isn't his thing.

At the thought of Kyle, she turns around to make sure he isn't following her. And of course nobody is. She turns back around and smacks right in a parked taxi cab. The driver rolls down the window. It's an elderly white man with three teeth and a shiny head.

"Can I get you anywhere Miss?"

"Yes please." Nikki hops in the back and gives him the directions. He mutters under his breath about the far distance and drives off.

Sleeplessness finally makes its presence known. Nikki tries to fight it as her eyelids get heavy, but she figures, it's a long ways anyways so might as well. And she falls asleep seconds later.

She dreams of Beatrix and of the friend she is headed to see right now. It wasn't Beatrix's doorstep that death was greeting her at. No. At Beatrix's doorstep pain and revenge were waiting. At her old weapon master's was where death was waiting. 


	4. Chapter 4

The Ancient Master

"Miss? Miss?" The old man's voice snakes through Nikki's sleeping mind stirring her consciousness. She doesn't want to get up yet. She just wants to sleep here forever… "Miss? We're in California now. Your total is $300.64."

Still lying on the seat and barely opening her eyes, she reaches in her wallet and hands him 301 dollars. "Keep the change." She mumbles and slowly gets up. The old driver stares daggers in her direction. She was never scared easily, but his expression definitely made her a little uncomfortable. "Thank you." She says quickly and jumps out of the car. Once she's out, the cab squeals then storms away.

Nikki looks after him. It would be easy to track him down and torture him for the hostility, but Nikki doesn't have the time. She takes in a deep breath and heads to the door of the white building in front of her. Better get this over with…

Despite the thought, her pace slows. She remembers the last time she was here and she rubs her arm unconsciously. No mark was left, but the indescribable burn still left her crying in her sleep.

Everything in her wants to run away and never come back to this place. Her hands are sweating, her heart is skipping threatening to stop beating all together, and her lungs are heavy. The chains that she imagines are squeezing her, threatening to crush her into nothing but painful dust. Inevitably, the door is inches in front of her. All of her nerves are balled together and sending prickling needles through her fingertips to her toes. "I can do this. I can do this." Nikki chants to herself. She takes a deep breath and opens the door.

Cold air rushes to greet her, calming her sweating body. She breathes in the comfort and attempts to hang on to it to bring it with her through the hell that was waiting for her. Facing Beatrix was definitely not going to be this hard.

She takes hesitant steps through the door and through the waiting room. The boxing ring is where she remembered it with the same red rings traveling around the outer perimeter. Punching bags and hazardous stations were set up along the room near a few mats. She remembers the bags but the stations were a little changed. Hers were spiked, fire, and ultra-dangerous. Anybody could die in training. Now they look like squirt gun stations and paintball launchers. Paintballs definitely hurt, but there is no way they can be lethal…

"I see you noticed the new toys," The old raspy voice comes from Nikki's left. She was waiting for the fatal whisper of his and now that she heard it, the preparation and wait doesn't do any good. Goosebumps run up her arms as she turns with an indifferent face. She is good at masks. But hopefully the pounding in her chest doesn't give her away…

"Yes actually I was. What happened to the old stations?" Nikki silently congratulates herself when her voice comes out flat. No emotion detectable.

Nikki watches his face turn up like he is enjoying his own private joke. "I guess you could say that parents were complaining." He steps out from the office door and leans against his snake headed cane. Nikki looks him over and almost laughs at what she sees.

He's wearing the old robes, like he always did. Only instead of dark blue or white like the last ones that he wore, this one was black with a white belt. His feet were bare, again like always and his hair was thinned a little more than she remembers. His forehead is still square and wrinkly and his eyes still squinted in their evil set. Nikki remembers thinking years ago that he reminded her of a constipated fish. She nearly smiles, almost giving herself away.

Instead she looks back at the open area that she had trained in everyday of her life that past 4 years. Ever since Beatrix ruined her childhood, Nikki needed a place she could ease her anger and improve her skills when she wasn't 'learning on the job'. And here was the perfect place. At least it used to be. Things got a little tense with Master Chang here after his last request.

"I see you still remember this place quite well. I miss having your spirit around. None of my students today, even after years and years, can reach the level that you stood."

Nikki looks back at him, trying with all her might to hold her mask in place. The shock of hearing praise from the man that had beat her down to nothing was never anything she expected. She had even come here expecting pain and fighting and instead she gets greeted with compliments?

"Alas you were never my best. You had never beaten me in a duel. Even after so many…" His voice trailed off along with Nikki's thoughts. He was right she had never beaten him. It wasn't so much that she didn't have the skills to, it was her heart. Master was the only figure that Nikki actually looked up to and feeling his flesh so fragile between her hands was like holding his heart and holding it's beat still. But that was past. She quit his class and went out on her own a few months ago. The present is holding something more for Nikki. The present is looking to the future, to sweet vengeance on the past.

Nikki pulls her mask into a hard glare. "Why not a re-match?" Master opens his mouth to speak but Nikki's words flow on, fast at first then steadying out. "If I win you have to do a favor for me. You can't refuse. And If you win, I will come back to your class and-"

"If I win, you have to be my personal guard." Master interrupts smoothly. She squints her eyes. So it's the same request as before. That meant that he was still dealing with dangerous people that would kill her easily. His face, withered from old age, pulling up into a victorious smile.

Nikki follows him as he turns toward the ring in the middle of the room. He jumps up smoothly from the ground into the far edge of one of the ring's corners. Nikki smirks after him. She jumps up with a little more height, and turns her body in the air. When she lands without so much as a tiny bounce in her corner, she beams smugly. Obviously showing off.

She walks to the middle of the ring. Master doing the same. When they meet, they shake hands confidently, agreeing to the other's bet if they are to lose. When they bow, they each back away into their own stances; Master being more original with a small bend of his knees and his hands in front of him, beckoning Nikki forward, and Nikki switching it up with a backflip followed by a crouch that wild animals would use. She bars her teeth, getting into character.

Her master's face turns into a question mark. He beckons her forward one more time, slower than before, and she takes that as an open invitation. She gets up and runs at him with all her speed, about to ram into him. She knows he favors his right side and she waits for the last possible second before she heads right at the same time his steps take him that way. She hits him like a reackong ball and a defenseless wall. Once she's on top, she smirks and wrestles with him on the ground. But he of course was quick.

He got out of her hold flawlessly and kicks her over in the ribs. Nikki "oofs" in response. Ignoring the dull throbbing of her ribs, she gets up and kicks near his head. He of course raises a hand to block. Getting annoyed that for once, she's putting in effort at beating the old man and he's better than her, she kicks harder into his chest. He tries to block, but her speed confuses his action. He falls onto his back and hops back to his feet. Nikki knows he's unbalanced and she takes those few seconds to punch his chin upwards with the heel of her hand.

He flys upwards. When he comes back down he throws a punch to the side Nikki's face. She moves to the other side on instinct and gets hit with a hammering blow to the other side. Her head pounds audibly in her ears. She shakes it trying to clear it when she notices the ceiling above her flying further and further away. When her back impacts the mat, the air leaves in her lungs in a fast gust. Her old Master jumps and is about to crush her with his whole body. She notices the move just in time to roll away. The movement of his body slamming into the mat ripples the whole ring.

Master turns back to her and pulls her up and pins her back. He kicks her in the back and moves like the strike of a snake into her stomach. Endless strikes rumble off her torso so fast, she doesn't have time to feel. She forgot her speed on her feet, never matched the speed of her master's hands. When he wanted something down, it was face planted and imprinted into the ground. When he wanted it high, it was flying past outer space into limbo. He wants Nikki stunned, unable to move, and that's how she stands. She senses her fight failing. She never had a chance to beat her master… But being his guard after losing to him sounds beyond repulsive.

She moves with swiftness that she hadn't tried before. The speed was so fast she was almost slowly skipping into the future. She sees her master's hands moving fast, even in slow motion as she turns to stand behind him. She sees his eyes slowly widen as she reaches up, grabs his throat and throws him into the air. Nearly touching the high ceiling, Nikki flies up next to him and shoves him back into the middle of the ring where the whole fight had started.

The impact against the ground is so rough that it causes his eyes to roll back. She takes the opportunity to give him a black eye as a memento of his fight with Nikki, the Copperhead's daughter. She grabs his throat and squeezes until his eyes widen, she incapacitates him with a strike to his throat and when she waits 10 seconds and he doesn't get up, she knows she's won. The fight she had never bothered to partake in for her heart's sake of beating an old man imprints her with higher power. Her master is no longer her master any more.

Now it's time to wait. Her master would wake up and he would have to agree to her bet. The weapons that she needs to end her revenge on Beatrix, the murderer that haunts her nightmares and lives in every action Nikki does. Her actions are going to be hers again. And nightmares will be changed into sweet dreams of vengeance.


	5. Chapter 5

The Final Favor

Nikki is expecting her old Master to take a while in waking up… She just hadn't had any idea how long a while would be. She left him on the mat in the same crumpled position that she had thrown his body into. He had hit the mat so hard, the fact that he was still breathing kind of surprised her, but then again, not really. He was a tough old guy. And defeating him like that really did do a number on her ego. She truly never, ever dreamed of beating Master, of all people, in a battle. It just seemed off limits, like outsmarting your teacher in front of the class. As fun as it was, it held consequences.

And if her master is the same as his clothes suggest, then there _will_ be consequences. She just hopes that that won't include the favor that her life is quite literally depending on. She sighs out of habit. Whenever things were chaotic, and lately that seems to be a lot, Nikki always sighed, mostly to ease the stress and give her something to do.

She looks around at the old stations and glances up at the mat. Master still lies perfectly still. She decides to kill time and get a better look at the 'oh-so-deadly stations'. The closest one to her holds wooden arms that spin forward toward the victim in front of it. It looks like a regular tiki-torch with eyes and the square wooden body, only the mouth is odd. A perfect circle that probably had a pipe that connected to something. Probably poisonous chemicals, she laughs silently thinking about the people who were most likely asked to stand up and demonstrate the station. They probably got 3rd degree burns. Unless…

She crouches down and kicks the arms above her. When they spin, a mist squirts out of the tiki's mouth and sprinkles on her. Nikki grabs her arm where most of the mist landed, and tastes it. No flavor and no burning. She stands up and punches the arms. They flip while the spray falls on her again. And it's just what she figures. Water. Not chemicals, no venom, nothing. Just water.

She frowns at the station. If it was her studio and parents complained like they did to Master, she would crank up the stations to the point of kicking the soul out of the one in training. They would go home and beg their parents to stop complaining. All of their lives would depend on it. Poor Master. He lost creativity in these stations all because of some stupid parents.  
>At the thought, Nikki looks back at the mat and hears Master groan as he tries to move. She runs and jumps onto the mat landing right by Master's head.<p>

"Well well, sleeping beauty finally awakens." She snickers while leaning closer to his face.

He coughs. "You beat me." He stammers the fact. Maybe he's in shock over the truth in those three little words.

Nikki pulls her mask into place, not daring to smile. That would make her look like an open target again. "It appears I did. And you have a bet to make up, a favor actually."

Master cringes. At least he was in a sitting position, even if it was more like a demented model. Her mask hardens. "What is your favor, young one?"

"You have a sword. A sword made of indestructible metal that not even steel, diamond, or copper, could break. I want it."

Master's face falls the tiniest bit. Nikki chalks it up as false sadness. "I'm terribly sorry but you are too late. Someone already beat you to it. My office was broken into not a few weeks again and the sword that you seek was stolen."

Nikki's anger bubbles. Her life is literally staked to that sword. Black Mamba already had a powerful sword that held histories of kills. The one Nikki is searching for is more history and measurement than any sword in the world. _And it's gone. _Nikki reaches behind her, grabbing her knife from the back of her pants. She holds it to Master's throat having found the guts to kill the lying scumbag. She knew about his bulletproof vault of weapons. Only he knew the code. "You're lying." She grits her teeth and leans forward, putting more pressure into his throat.

He gasps. "No-I…I promise. The sword is g-gone."

She presses harder, drawing a drop of blood. Master's face pales. "I am not playing games anymore old man. Tell me where the sword is, or you can kiss your miserable life goodbye."

Master laughs. "I wouldn't tell you where it is even if I knew. You are nothing but a dirty, skanky little girl without her parents. You're a low life assassin that will die young. You're suicidal for thinking you can take on the Black Mamba."

Nikki's nostrils flare and without so much as a breath, she slices his throat deep and fast, nearly decapitating him altogether. His blood coats her knife and covers her black shirt. His head lies over his shoulders, revealing the veins and arteries that run along through to the inside of his body. He falls to his side, dead.

She looks at him and falls down on her heels then collapses on her butt. She throws the knife at him again, not aiming. It hits the mat with a thud, like the final beat of her mission. Her mission that she can't even complete anymore.

Nikki puts her head into her hands and cries. Master wasn't lying. He didn't have the sword so where is it?

For a long time, Nikki sits there utterly defeated. She let her mom down, she let herself down, and she let her life down. She had lived her whole life since she was a kid to track down Beatrix and give her the pain that Nikki had felt. That was the least she owed, her life. And now Nikki couldn't even take that payment from her.

Nikki lies down with Master's blood creeping toward her. She watches the red streams flow to make a river together. The red to her symbolizes the loss of her will, the loss of everything she is. Master would be the last person she kills before herself. She wouldn't give Beatrix to end her life she wouldn't give the other assassins a chance to get money for killing her. She would kill herself before anyone else had the option to. She gets up and walks through the blood not caring about her shoes. She picks up the knife with tears still in her eyes. She holds the knife above her and prays.

In the middle of her silent plea to be forgiven, a noise comes from the lobby. She lowers her knife down and watches. The door toward the training area opens slowly. A bloody hand reaches up and catches it on the other side before it has time to close again. Nikki grips her knife expecting Beatrix or one of the assassins. "Who's there?" She calls out loud and clear.

"Nikki." A broken whisper of a shout greets back as Kyle stumbles through the door, soaked in blood.


	6. Chapter 6

Goodbye Old Me… Hello Future.

She doesn't have time to feel. She rushes out of the ring and falls off the edge to get to his side. He stumbles to meet her but his feet twine together. Nikki reaches him, catching him just in time before he hits the ground. She gently lays him down and crouches next to him.

Her mask breaks and falls off all at once. Fresh tears feel her eyes and she blinks trying to clear them enough to see straight, causing them to cascade down her face.

"Damn girl. You look like shit." Kyle says weakly.

Nikki smiles just as weak. "Look who's talking."

Kyle tries to laugh but instead sucks in a painful breath. "I am so sorry Nik. I tried to help," he gasps for air, "but I remembered you said something about…" His voice breaks off feverishly. Listening to his painful talking makes Nikki hurt as bad as him.

She presses on for more information. As long as he's talking, that means he's living. "You remembered what?"

Kyle smiles as wide as he can manage, "That I love you girl. Don't ever forget that." He caresses her face. She leans into his bloodied hand and cries harder. She chokes trying not to sob.

"I know. I love you too Kyle." She leans close to him and presses her lips lightly to his. She knows there is no way he can survive this. His gray shirt was soaked and ripped. Deep slashes settle in his skin, bleeding endlessly. He doesn't have enough blood to survive… Nikki presses her lips harder against his. His hand moves to her head holding her there. This was their first kiss mixed with their first 'I love yous' and soon to be their first and last goodbyes.

Kyle's hand moved from her head to her waist. Their kiss grows deeper with each movement of their lips. His blood mixes with her tears and Nikki knows now that Kyle is her true love. She would never be able to find anybody like him.

Her sob breaks the kiss and she looks away. Tears flow without end down her eyes. Usually this would be humiliating and she would be hiding, but losing her life and now her love within minutes is just too much to handle.

Kyle turns her chin over so she faces him. Another sob building at the look of his battered body, she bites her lip. "I love you Nikki." He reaches beside him and places a long slender object on her lap. To broken inside to see what it is, she watches his face. His eyes flutter and his hand goes limp on her leg. His head falls to the side and even though he's bloodied and dead, his face holds peace.

Nikki whispers, "I love you too" then sobs openly into the dead room. Nobody is coming in now. And nobody is going to leave. She looks around for her knife to end the pain of this world, and instead catches a glimpse of the object.

She looks down at her lap and what she sees, stops her sob in its track. Her tears flow slower and her heart starts to race. She reaches down and caresses the black sword case. The hilt is black with a snake head at the top. "No, no, no." She repeats over and over again in shock at what she's holding. The sword, the ultimate unbreakable sword, is now in her possession. She carefully curls her hand around the neck of the snake, and pulls.

The sword, that's much longer than any weapon she has ever seen, is shined like a new dime. She sees her reflection perfectly. Curly hair that looks flat and frizzed, eyes puffy red from crying, blood on her lips and her mom's mirrored face in her own, look worn. There is no life left.

But now a shine is reflected in her eyes. This is it. She can avenge her mother's death. She can complete her life's dream. She closes her eyes and is awed by the heroicness of Kyle. Master hung around those gangsters for money and coverage and after they turned on him, he needed a body guard, which was what he wanted Nikki for. They must have broken into his safe and stolen the sword as a warning. And if that's who had it, that's who Kyle had to face to get a sword for her.

Nobody had ever done anything like that for her. Nobody even knew who she truly was, like Kyle did. He was truly her love, before she realized it for herself. "Thank you." She says to his body.

Now she can do what she has planned all her life. She stands up and pulls out the sword. "Beatrix, Black Mamba, you are going down." And with that she kisses Kyle's lips one more time, then flies out of the damned karate place and rushed to greet her life's creator.


	7. Chapter 7

Intent on Kill

With full intent on killing Beatrix, Nikki rides in a cab with an uncomfortable driver eyeballing her through the rearview mirror. Nikki guesses he's about late twenties early thirties and probably doesn't have a wife or kids but she doesn't think any more about him. She's too busy giving herself a pep talk and scrolling through different scenarios she may face.

After about forty five minutes on the road (and in Nikki's mind, she just sliced Beatrix's head off) she grows more and more impatient. Tapping the cab driver on the shoulder for him to jump in response, she tells him to step on it. His foot hits the gas, pushing the car up to eighty miles an hour. Nikki's mind finds just an ounce of comfort in the action. The rest of her tenses and races to get a hold on the anger, the sweet anger that gives her fuel to keep on her way to the mansion. It isn't that hard. All she has to do is remember the knife protruding from her mother's heart and the rage flies back hugging her mind and soul in a familiar black lacing, a lace woven intricately with rage, memories, blood, and wounds.

She groans softly under her breath and leans her head against the seat. She doesn't have a chance against the revived Mamba. Despite the laced rage holding her close, Nikki knows Beatrix has some tricks up her sleeves that could kill her in milliseconds. Nikki can only hope that Beatrix's venom has lost some of its potency over the last few years.

She looks despairingly out the window. The sidewalks, trees, and buildings pass in nothing but flashes of different colors blurred together. The only steady color is the orange and pink mixed sky. Nikki looks at it not really seeing it. The only thing she sees is pain. The pain that comes filing into her mind through the memories of the days in her life. She's young and yet the only thing she can remember is the dark color of sugary death that appears the most through the pink in the sky. But lately the flavor of death has changed to sour when it claimed the life of her love, the only thing she ever found bright happiness in.

Silently, Nikki rips open the wounds in her heart and lets the pain of it cascade in salty waterfalls out of her eyes. The rage lace starts to rip and fall into sad threads. She hasn't cried in years. Not even when she was ripping throats and ending lives. The only thing that was on her mind was avenging her mother's death. What about Kyle…?

Nikki's heart starts to race at a plan that forms unconsciously in her head. She dries her eyes and sits up. The sky is darkening, blurring the sad images that filled it just seconds ago, and that's the signal.

Following the signal, the cab starts to slow. "You can stop here." she says, trying to control the adrenaline from seeping through her voice and giving her away. The cab breaks hard and the driver looks suspiciously relieved to be getting rid of her. Without thinking about it, she throws a $500 dollar bill at him, which is probably twice the amount the cab ride was, and hops out. She's in California now, on top of a small hill in the middle of nowhere. The black mansion is behind the gate in front of her.

She hears the cab back up and speed away. _Chicken,_ she thinks at the jumpy driver and looks ahead. The mansion looks desolated. At the sight, chills run their cold fingers up her spine making her wish she had a cab of her own that she could use to run away in.

Nikki takes a deep breath. This is what she's been waiting for her whole life. She looks at the top of the spiked gate and at the key pad with a camera next to her. She can be sneaky about this, but then again, Beatrix must already know she's here. Nikki presses the button.

A buzzer sounds and the gate swings open. Hesitation can only make things worse, so she walks confidently through toward the mansion not even caring that her black pants are ripped or that she still has dried blood on her. She doesn't even care that her hair is a snarly mess. The only thing she has time to think about is the reassuring weight of the sword at her waist and the pounding in her chest as she climbs up the dirt hill.

When she finally reaches the front door to the mansion, a voice calls from the back, "Wrong way little girl." She follows the threatening voice; the voice that has haunted her dreams for years, and finds Beatrix sitting casually in a recliner on the porch. A steaming cup of tea in her hands and a long sword at her side, Beatrix looks more like a waiting snake than a casual human being.

Her hair is blonde like Nikki remembers. Same features, same everything. The only difference now compared to the Beatrix then is that this one does not look evil or vengeful. This Beatrix looks sad.

"You knew I was coming." A simple statement that Nikki already suspected was true.

Beatrix looks at the tea in her cup as she swirls it around. "I told you I would be waiting." She looks up and meets Nikki's gaze. "You've grown into quite a young woman. Your mother would be proud."

"Don't you dare talk about her." Nikki grabs her sword and points it in front of her.

Beatrix remains seated. To Nikki's disappointment, she doesn't even seem fazed by the movement. Instead she looks back at her tea and says, "Ah, the master sword. For you, I expected as much." She takes one last sip then sets the cup down onto the glass table beside her.

"Let's get this over with bitch." Nikki smiles slyly.

Beatrix returns the smile ruefully. "You will be happily reunited with your family in hell."

Nikki's smile falters. She grips her sword, pulls it up and bends her knees low. With the sword above her head and her hand in front of her, she tempts the Black Mamba forward, putting all the rage within her into the sword itself.

Beatrix flips off the porch smoothly landing with her sword slamming against Nikki's. The pressure makes Nikki's finger cramp. "Why do you want to avenge such a terrible being like your mother?"

The sword twitches with the anger building in her fingers. Nikki pushes against the opposing sword and slashes at Mamba's neck.

Beatrix smoothly avoids it and slashes Nikki's side. She yelps in pain and when she looks at Mamba's blue eyes, the cocky show doesn't hide the shadow of sadness behind them.

"Tell me, what happened to your daughter?" Nikki asks casually while taking a step back. She is silently thanking the heavens for allowing her to remember that information.

And just as she had hoped, the sadness shifts to rage and the mamba lunges toward Nikki's left. The exact thing she was hoping for.

As mamba's sword inches toward her neck, Nikki twists her bodies sideways and slides her sword smoothly into Mamba's skin just beneath her ribs. Mamba falls to the ground and holds her side. Blood swells beneath her hand. And Nikki's heart is doing somersaults. She didn't think she could last this long let alone, injure the sly assassinator.

"Oh. I get it. Did you kill her for wanting a cookie? Or was she just too much like Bill for you to give a damn about her?"

Mamba visibly grinds her teeth and spits the words out like poison. "I would never hurt her."

"Then where is your precious gem? Were you that much of a demon that you would get rid of your own daughter?" Nikki presses on trying to find the weakness in mamba's shield.

"It wasn't like that. I told her. I told her." Mamba shakes her head back and forth whispering more to herself than to Nikki.

When she lifts her head up, Nikki's hands start to sweat with anticipation. Mamba's eyes are blue fire glaring through Nikki's mind. Mamba gets up slowly, visibly ignoring the blood rushing out onto her shirt and pants. Nikki's thankful her own wound is just a scratch.

Mamba's sword comes down near her head. Nikki blocks just in time. "You don't deserve a daughter you heartless monster." Nikki spits in her face and turns to the ground, sweeping her feet under Mamba's. Once on the ground, Nikki tries to slice under her neck but is blocked by a sword. "You're right. I don't deserve her." Mamba's saddened voice answers.

Nikki is pushed backwards onto the ground. Her head slams into the concrete leaving her shocked and breathless. Her vision blurs out and when she tries to move, she can't. A pressure on her chest keeps her pinned.

When she can finally see, she notices a foot pressing heavily on her breastbone. Beatrix keeps her sword at her side and an expressionless mask on her face. Nikki knows that if she can't find a way to get her off, she's done for. She tries to sit up but cries in pain as her bone starts to crack under the weight. This is it, she thinks helplessly. I've failed.

And as Mamba pulls up her sword to end the fight once and for all, the sound of a gun being cocked stops her. Nikki looks up, trying to focus to see what has saved her life for at least a few seconds, but the only thing she sees is a blur.

"Hello mother," a girl's voice speaks viciously.

Mamba's is perfectly smooth when she answers, "B.B"

"What the hell is all this?" B.B sounds exasperated and shocked.

Mamba doesn't respond. Instead, she slowly presses harder on Nikki's chest causing her to gasp and choke in pain. She isn't daring to breathe let alone answer or ask for help, if that's what Mamba is trying to get across. She wouldn't ruin this obviously heartwarming family reunion. A moment that was allowing her to keep her life just a little bit longer than she had thought.

"Well?" B.B sounds like she's throwing knives at mamba.

The pressure on her now for sure broken bones in her chest, slowly starts to ease up then hesitantly leaves all together. Nikki takes in a painful lungful of air and listens on the becoming of whether or not she gets out of here alive and fulfills her other plans.

"C'mon mom what's your excuse for killing an innocent person this time?" The word innocent almost makes Nikki laugh. Almost.

"B.B, I will never expect you to understand this life-"

"You're damn right," B.B interrupts, "Because I would never _murder _anyone. You are heartless. You took care of me yes and I regret every second of it. The taint in your mind, the bloodspilled by _your _hands will never make you worthy of living. You never even listened to me! You're so stubborn and full of yourself. Don't you see? You, of all people, are full of shit to think you are above the laws of the universe. Don't you get that?"

Nikki's vision slowly starts to clear. She sees Beatrix with her head down and a blond that looks very much like her, holding a gun to her head. Nikki meets the girl's eyes then looks at her sword lying next to her then looks expectantly back at Beatrix. When she looks back at the girl, she sees B.B nod her head once. Nikki silently and painfully gets to her feet and picks up her sword.

And as soon as her hand reaches around the snake's neck on the hilt, Mamba twists around and slashes her arm with the sword Nikki had forgotten she was still holding. Nikki collapses back to the ground, hugging her bleeding arm in her shirt when the deafening sound rings in Nikki's ears as she watches Beatrix fall to the ground with a bullet wound in her head.

"Goodbye Mother." And with that B.B pulls the trigger for a second time. Nikki looks at her, massively impressed. B.B reaches out her hand and Nikki pauses for a few minutes before taking it and getting up.

"Do you have to kill me too?" B.B asks sarcastically and walks to the porch, not waiting for an answer. She sits down where her mother had sat just an hour earlier.

Nikki stands in front of her. She thinks about it and contemplates the idea. She looks at the master sword behind her and winces. "No. In fact, today is the last time I ever kill anyone ever again." She sits down on the edge of the porch and rests her head against one of the side pillars. Facing B.B she asks, "How long have you wanted to do that?"

"Ever since she killed my father," B.B responds while putting her blond hair into a pony tail.

Nikki extends her hand, "By the way, I'm Nikki."

B.B takes it, "I'm B.B." Nikki is more than a little aware of the pain in her injured arm.

"I think we're going to be friends for a long time," She states sincerely, trying to keep her voice from being thick with the overbearing burning sting in her arm.

B.B smiles, "Friends with a murderer."

"You should be used to murderers by now."

Nikki laughs at the sound of it and B.B joins in. But in the back of Nikki's mind, she secretly hopes B.B will forgive her for lying. One more person needs to be taken care of before she can hang up the sword for good…


	8. Chapter 8

Revenge on Peace

Nikki looks at B.B and gives her the all-clear signal before sneaking around the other side of the house. There is only one last thing to take care of before she can hang up the master sword and now, a brand new shiny revolver pistol as well. Maybe B.B is more of an influence on her life then she realizes...

Nikki stands up and looks through the window. One man is in the kitchen and three others are at the table playing poker. If what Nikki has learned from others who have dealt with the vile gangsters, there are now five. There used to be eight, but a kid killed three of them. A kid that Nikki gave her heart to. The head boss stays in his office and the others are simply his guards. Apparently, the boss man has a huge reputation to uphold. The same reputation that Nikki is about to destroy.

She continues around to the very back of the small house. She sits next to B.B. "Four are in the kitchen. That means the boss must be here. Can you handle them?"

B.B cocks both her guns and wiggles are eyebrows. "I'll give them a show they will never forget."

Nikki rolls her eyes. The last thing she's going to do is worry about B.B. It's been nearly one year since their first encounter and they already knew everything about each other. Two sixteen year olds murdering together. Ironic how things turn out. "I'll get the Boss." B.B nods and goes around to the window Nikki was just at. Nikki continues on to the back door. She knows B.B will probably be more creative than her about sneaking in, but she's more anxious about getting this over with than actually having fun.

She opens the white door slowly and, ghost like, sneaks past the kitchen. The four men sit, completely oblivious, at the table. B.B is nowhere to be seen but Nikki knows once she starts to tiptoe upstairs, a commotion is bound to be heard.

She doesn't waste any more time. She moves swiftly up the stairs and down a long hall. Double cherry wood doors wait for her to approach.

Nikki kicks them down and aims her pistol while keeping her other paranoid fingers over her sword. A man behind a desk seated in a brown leather chair looks up from his papers. Nikki glares back at him. The man is Mexican with a mustache and dressed nicely in a suit. He's all ready for his own funeral.

Nikki points the gun at his head. He lifts up his hands smoothly. "What do you want?"

"Do you remember him?" Nikki flings a picture of Kyle on to his desk. The gangster leans over and glances at it.

He shrugs, "Maybe, maybe not."

"Ok. Well maybe you remember this." Nikki pulls out the sword and places it at his throat. He eyeballs it and Nikki is satisfied when his eyes bug out and his face pales.

"H-how-"

"This friend of mine, which I'm sure your _guards_ told you they killed, was still alive when he got away."

"This is an outrage-" Nikki digs her sword into his throat harder, cutting his sentence off short.

Gun shots ring out from downstairs and Nikki takes that as her next cue. "See. It's just you and me now. So tell me. Now do you remember this boy?"

"You will not get away with this. My men will find you." He chokes out.

"I already did get away with this." Nikki pulls out her gun and aims it in the middle of his forehead and pulls the trigger.

"Did I miss it?" A breathless B.B barges into the office and looks at the dead body of the mobster. "Damn it! I wanted to watch the show!" She exaggerates flipping her blonde hair and hmph-ing on her way back down the stairs. Nikki grabs the picture of Kyle and slips it back into her pocket. He saw what she did. He knows why she did it and that's all that matters. That's all that ever mattered.

Nikki catches up with B.B outside and looks back at the house; the place of her final kill, the place of her final vengeance, the place that opens the gate to peace if even just a crack.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you to Valkyrie-Pleasant for being _my _muse and helping me finish this story. And thank you my bestie (You know who you are) for giving me the idea about the depthness of scars. I hope ya'll enjoy and if you don't... well there's nothing I can tell you. Rate and Review! Thank you for reading! **

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><p>6 years later…<p>

Every night, since the brutal murder of her best friend, nightmares and hell have haunted her. Nikki has seen the sun rise and set in many colors, but today, for once, hell hasn't tainted her view. For once, the loneliness eases and she can see peace. She sees the beauty in the darkening shades in the sky around her. She now has time and patience to wait for the moon and the stars.

Maybe she learned to move on. Maybe all she needed was time to heal from the raw exhaustion of completing her missions. But none of that matters. Her eyes, mind, and heart are at restful peace for the first time in her life and now she has a new sensation to savor. She can be proud of where her life has led her (from the 15 year old venger to the 21 year old wiseman) a thought that would have never crossed her mind six years ago.

She sighs and looks over the balcony. Dressed appropriately in a black silky dress and her hair falling in waves down her back, she feels _beautiful._ Despite the thick scar that rests on her arm from her fight, she feels amazing. The scar, whenever she sees it, gives her courage. The past was real and the scar simply proves that it wasn't just a dream. She _can_ survive. She swirls her champagne, extending the classy feel, and takes a sip.

The violin music of the wedding party behind her is covered by distance. B.B's faint laughter of a happiness that she shares with her new husband mixes in with the sound harmoniously. And Nikki finally feels no jealousy. She is proud of her best friend and happy that she has found someone to spend the rest of her life with. Nikki smiles, not a black rage driven smile, but a smile of self-content. This night can go on for the rest of her life and she would be perfectly fine with it.

"Beautiful night tonight," A man's voice comments beside her.

Admiring the moon that has fully risen in the sky and keeping the smile on her lips she comments back, "Lovely," the one word for her isn't just for the night. Everything in her life looks lovely in this new view.

From her peripheral vision, she sees the man lean casually on the balcony admiring the god like beauty above them.

Nikki looks at him. He's black skinned, like her, and dressed in a black suit with his hair in corn rows. He looks at her probably feeling her gaze on his face. Their eyes lock.

Nikki looks back at the moon and asks casually, "Where have you been?"

She can feel his gaze still on her when he starts, "That's a long and tragic story really. But it all started on one particular night when I followed a very fascinating girl to a house where she slaughtered a boy when she was only eleven years old. And now I'm seeing this same girl but not only is she a murderer but she is also a thief."

"A thief?"

"Yes a thief."

"What exactly is it that she took?"

"Well on the day that I died, she stole my heart and has yet to give it back."

Nikki looks back at him, the smile faltering on her lips while tears threaten her eyes. A smile plays at the corners of his mouth like he's just told a funny story.

"Ignoring the cheesiness," She whispers, ""How'd you do it?"

"After I passed out, I heard your voice. It was calling me telling me that I wasn't allowed to leave. And I remember this strange white light. Every time I tried to go into it, I couldn't," His face twists in confusion but he continues, "So when I turned away from the light and followed your voice, I heard doctors and nurses crying and shouting 'He lives!' And when I finally opened my eyes, I was in the hospital. They said I was stabbed so many times that it was amazing that my heart was still beating." He pauses. "By the way, I think I totally gave the real Robin a run for his money."

The tears fall out of her eyes ruthlessly and stream down her face, but despite it, she manages to keep a stubborn look on her face when she says, "I wasn't much for stealing but you stole my heart too...Robin. "She adds playing along, "It looks like we're even."

"Nu uh not even close, Nik." And that smile, a smile she has only seen in her dreams, finally crosses his face. And even though he's older, his chocolate eyes and familiar smile make her breath stop.

"Awe c'mon Kyle." She succeeds in sounding sarcastically pissed.

"Nope. I had to find a sword and nearly die for you. I deserve something more than just your heart." He moves closer to her. So close she can smell his cologne, identical to the cologne that he used over six years ago.

"What more do you want?"

"I'll take all that you have to offer."

Nikki smiles. And with that Kyle kisses her feverishly. Sweet tears and a long wait of thinking they were never going to see each other again, seep through burning their lips with love.

Kyle pulls away after a few minutes and looks her in the eyes, "By the way, what happened to the Mexican sword stealing gangsters?"

Nikki side smiles "Don't worry. I took care of them," She looks through the open doors to the dance floor where the new groom and bride share a dance. B.B catches her glance and beams at Nikki while wiggling her eyebrows, "with a little help of course."

"Awe and I was really looking forward to finishing them off."

Nikki's heart jumps involuntarily to her throat at the thought of him in danger again. "Oh shut up and kiss me." She says and pushes his lips back on to hers. And together in whole and peace, Nikki heals her heart, completely replacing the black rage lace of an old life with a new white lace of love and affection. Yes the scars and memories remain, but like everything in life; it all eventually fades into a foggy nightmare. The stars aligned and gave her her fate. Now a white lace of strength and love will forever lead her life.

_The End!_


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